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holly fern, mountain fern, northern holly fern, polystic faux-lonchitis

Anderson's holly-fern, Anderson's sword fern, Vancouver holly fern

Stems

erect to occasionally ascending.

erect.

Leaves

erect, not arching except at tip, 1–6 dm;

bulblets absent.

monomorphic, arching, 3–10 dm;

bulblets 1 or more, on distal 1/3 of rachis.

Petiole

1/10–1/6 of blade, densely scaly;

scales light brown, gradually diminishing in size distally.

1/8–1/4 length of leaf, densely scaly;

scales light brown, diminishing in size distally.

Blade

linear, often widest above middle, 1-pinnate, base narrowed.

lanceolate, 1-pinnate-pinnatifid;

base narrowed.

Pinnae

oblong to lanceolate to falcate, proximal pinnae ± deltate, rarely overlapping, in 1 plane, 0.5–3 cm, base truncate to oblique, acroscopic auricle well developed;

margins serrulate-spiny with teeth spreading;

apex acute, subapical tooth hardly smaller than apical tooth;

microscales dense, on abaxial surface only.

lanceolate-falcate, proximal pinnae ± triangular, not overlapping, in 1 plane, 2–10 cm;

base oblique, acroscopic auricle well developed;

margins incised to costae, segments adnate to costa for at least 2 mm, serrulate-spiny with teeth ascending;

apex acute with subapical and apical teeth same size;

microscales filiform, with contorted projections, dense abaxially, sparse adaxially.

Indusia

entire or minutely dentate-erose.

sparsely ciliate.

Spores

dark brown.

light brown to brown.

2n

= 82.

= 164.

Polystichum lonchitis

Polystichum andersonii

Habitat In rock crevices or at base of boulders, mostly in boreal and subalpine coniferous forests or alpine regions Lowland coastal to midmontane forests, interior moist forests
Elevation 0–3200 m (0–10500 ft) 100–1700 m (300–5600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; ID; MI; MN; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; NF; NS; ON; QC; YT; Greenland
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; ID; MT; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The hybrid between Polystichum lonchitis and P. acrostichoides (= P. × hagenahii Cody) is discussed under P. acrostichoides. The hybrid with P. braunii (= P. × meyeri Sleep & Reichstein) is discussed under P. braunii. In the Georgian Bay area of Ontario, P. lonchitis hybridizes with Dryopteris goldieana to produce the peculiar × Dryostichum singulare W. H. Wagner (W. H. Wagner Jr., F. S. Wagner et al. 1992).

The spiny spores of P. lonchitis are distinctive and distinguish this from dwarfed forms of other 1-pinnate species.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Polystichum andersonii is an allotetraploid (D. H. Wagner 1979); its diploid parents are P. munitum and P. kwakiutlii. The triploid cross, P. munitum × andersonii, has been analyzed cytologically (W. H. Wagner Jr. 1973). It is the only sterile hybrid in the genus that develops large colonies through vegetative propagation by its bulblets. Hybrids look very much like some of the more deeply incised forms of Polystichum munitum except that they have abundant filiform scales, abortive sori, and nearly triangular lowermost pinnae with ± equally incised acroscopic and basiscopic auricles.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 2. FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Dryopteridaceae > Polystichum Dryopteridaceae > Polystichum
Sibling taxa
P. acrostichoides, P. aleuticum, P. andersonii, P. braunii, P. californicum, P. dudleyi, P. imbricans, P. kruckebergii, P. kwakiutlii, P. lemmonii, P. microchlamys, P. munitum, P. scopulinum, P. setigerum
P. acrostichoides, P. aleuticum, P. braunii, P. californicum, P. dudleyi, P. imbricans, P. kruckebergii, P. kwakiutlii, P. lemmonii, P. lonchitis, P. microchlamys, P. munitum, P. scopulinum, P. setigerum
Synonyms Polypodium lonchitis P. braunii subsp. andersonii, P. braunii var. andersonii
Name authority (Linnaeus) Roth: Tent. Fl. Germ. 3(1): 71. (1799) M. Hopkins: Amer. Fern J. 3: 116, plate 9. (1913)
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